Another 'Thinkin bout coming back' Thread =)

Stratics Veteran

So recently kicked off a trial account to see what's been happening in the world of UO and frankly I'm being drawn back. I can feel it. Only bad thing is the population on the shard I used to play on mainly (Baja) seems to be down.

I like to see lots of people running about, makes the game feel more alive for me. So I have a couple questions if anyone has some insight for me.

1) If I were to start fresh on a server that's more heavily populated (Atlantic maybe?) what would be the best way to go about making some coin? Would starting a craftsman of some sort be best? Or would starting a fighter/mage or something of the sort be better, just jump in, train up and start looting?

2) My main on my account was a tamer/mage that I never really got past GM on any skills with. Are Tamers still good for solo/group hunting and looting? I may just buck up and get a character transfer too.

Stratics VeteranStratics Legend

Welcome back! The game has grown more complex with age; a 14 year old game with that thrill of discovery. I just learned I was completely clueless about Damage Increase, for example. =) Don't feel overwhelmed and start with what you know and enjoy, then branch out to the new stuff.

1) Atlantic is the most heavily populated shard, Great Lakes and Pacific follow. Some of the less populated shards are known for their RP community, friendly inhabitants, etc. Take your pick Make a new character and wander around a bit before settling down.

1a) Most variations of sampire are solid in PvM. The warrior forum has tons of posts arguing the finer points for skill distribution. Lots of room for creativity. You could even try for a hybrid sampire/tamer, if you want.

1b) The shame redesign is probably your best bet for a quick payout. With a little luck, a no negative uber item could land you millions of gold.

1c) You can also unravel magic items and sell magic residue, essence, and relic for a good payout. As a bonus, you'll gain imbuing.

2) Tamers are still good. The taming forum has the latest techniques for gaining the skill rapidly. Powerscolls are fairly inexpensive now, a couple mil for legendary (120 skill cap) taming scrolls. If you have soulstones you'll definitely want them on your main shard. I've seen more disco/tamer templates, thanks to imbuing and the ability to make that perfect +skill jewelry set.

2a) There are benefits to having a near fully trained character on a less populated shard, depending on your playstyle. I stick primarily to 3 main characters, no vendors, so I can't really speak to moving goods between shards.

2b) Try imbuing. It allows you to build optimal gear for your template. Many creative templates are viable now because of this, more so than in the past. Start with what you know and then get creative as you reacquaint yourself with the game. Jewelry with +skill is easy to make. With a skill cap of 720, my main character has 865 skill from +skill items.

Stratics Veteran

Baja is pretty active but it depends on the time of day. Chesy also has more activity picking up with the changes to shame. Best bet is find a shard that has the activity in your time range and run with that. If you need help on Baja or Chesy let me know.

Stratics Veteran

Find a mid-populated shard. You will have more opportunity and will be able to do things without having to fight a horde of people to do simple things. There will usually be enough people to do most things at most times. Its generally the shards with the small populations that are suffering the most.

Stratics VeteranStratics Legend

All the other MMOs are really **** compared to what UO offers. The only thing that UO lacks is graphics, but that's not the most important thing for a game. Since I've been busy with Dwarf Fortress, I don't care about graphics unless they're a real eyesore (like the Enhanced Client was before they gave up and used the retro tileset)

Stratics Veteran

Thanks for the advice everyone! I decided to stay on Baja just because I have a couple semi developed characters plus my main tamer/mage that is at elder status for most skills. There's almost an overwhelming amount of changes! I already want to make a sampire, make a crafter (never had one before) + do all the new shame content. Too much to do is never a bad thing though.

My first to do is getting a solid greater dragon though, so building up some honor to tame one of those bad boys. Thanks again!

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